One of the lingering and most frustrating legacies of the Covid Pandemic that began in 2020 is that on any given day—and at any given grocery store, Wal-Mart, or Target—is that supplies that we often took for granted pre-Pandemic are nowhere to be found. From shipping delays on the high seas, to a paucity of 18-wheeler drivers (and the high costs of gas) to haul freight, there's truly a noticeable difference on the shelves when we happen into stores these days.
Cognizant that any natural disaster usually is accompanied by increased prices for goods that is equal parts "corporate greed" and "supply/demand,” many Americans, including yours truly, are now bracing for the worst should the nation's railways shut down—even for a short period of time.
This past week, the news cycle has featured two major stories on repeat; the death of Great Britain's longest running monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, and the looming strike by American railways workers.
But to be honest, the latter is of utmost importance to me not just for selfish reasons of wanting my favorite items to remain in stock at reasonable prices, but because the historian in me is painfully aware that the workers for freight companies and Amtrak, alike, are fighting in the spirit of their employment ancestors—the very ones who were at the vanguard of pushing the labor movement forward towards the end of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th Century.
Just last week, Americans enjoyed a day off on the first Monday of September—a holiday ever since President Grover Cleveland signed what is now known as Labor Day into law in 1894.
But did you know that the roots of the Labor Day holiday stem from railway strikes by laborers who were adamant about improved working conditions and wages?
Artistic sketch of the violent 1894 Pullman Railroad Strike…
Allow me to take you back to the economic depression of 1893, when the wealthy so-called "Robber Barons" of the era moved to secure their financial interests by lowering wages and cutting hours for workers. Among the wealthiest companies at the time was the Pullman Railroad Company, founded by George Pullman, one that employed thousands of men in every facet of the railroad business, including Black men who worked as "Pullman Porters" who waited on passengers.
Black Pullman Porters circa late 19th and early 20th Centuries…
When the Pullman company lowered its wages while keeping rent prices the same in Pullman Town near Chicago—the area where many of its employees lived—disgruntled workers, led by noted socialist organizer and future presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs, organized into the American Railways Union to demand concessions from management.
Burned freight cars near Chicago during the Pullman strike…
By May of 1894, a full-scale railways strike was under way in 27 states! Unsurprisingly, the ARU was racially segregated, which meant that Black Pullman workers had no seat at the table among the labor fighters. As such, Black workers not only continued to work as Pullman Porters, but with white workers striking out, many Blacks took on their abandoned jobs at the behest of Pullman management.
As one would expect, the Black workers were deemed "traitors" by the striking white workers and in time, the verbal hostility turned into violence as Black workers were attacked by the white males on strike. That violence, coupled with blocked railways and burned out freight cars that prevented trains from passing with their goods, passengers, and U.S. mail, was followed by President Grover Cleveland's decision to send in the military to ensure that the trains began running again. By so doing, Cleveland essentially used the military to assist Pullman management; the ensuing clashes between armed forces and strikers left 30 men dead, 57 wounded, and over $80 million dollars ($30 billion today) in damaged property!
Picture of federal troops and Pullman strikers facing off in Chicago…
The public backlash to President Cleveland's military intervention was so severe that he soon signed a Congressional Act designating the first Monday of each September (Labor Day) as a federal holiday in hopes of quelling the political backlash.
Nevertheless, with the military all but ensuring that the strike was over, many of the white striking workers ended their boycotts and upon their return to employment, the Black strike breakers either were relegated to serving as Pullman Porters—or released from work altogether.
Separately, strike leader Eugene V. Debs was indicted for obstructing the mail service and contempt of court for not adhering to an injunction that had been issued. Despite being represented by famed trial lawyer Clarence Darrow, Debs was convicted and sentenced to six months in prison; four years later, he ran for President of the United States as a socialist candidate.
The perpetual presidential candidate—Eugene V. Debs—on the campaign trail during one of his five presidential races between 1900 and 1920…
This trip down memory lane in today's blog is not for mere nostalgia, but to point out that while Americans just love to boast about "American Capitalism," the reality is that American workers have always been the proverbial “faces at the bottom of the well” when it comes to wages and benefits. In furtherance of my point, at this very moment, the primary issues among railway workers who are prepared to strike across America are, 1. Scheduling (hours of work) and, 2. Unpaid time off for physician appointments.
I am going to repeat the second demand, "unpaid" time off for physician appointments, while highlighting for a third time, "UNPAID!" It's not as if these workers are asking to get paid to see about their health, which makes the very notion that railroad companies are digging in on this point quite perverse (and totally typical of the patrician elite).
Such is why I fully support the workers in their demands, even if it means that many of the items that I love to buy are delayed or "out-of-stock" for the foreseeable future. Thus, my sincere hopes are that President Joe Biden, who announced this morning a tentative deal, can use the West Wing's bully pulpit to coerce railroad management to make these basic concessions so that the American economy can remain humming as we enter into the busy holiday season shopping in November and December.
Stay tuned...
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